The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-12-15

grinding the farming interests OF these
United States in to the very dust and
ashes, to lobster up large m%onopolies
and corporations. The people are
taxed under the apparent pretext of
being enabled to pay labor such wages
as to place them above want. While
making this plea before the country to
gloss oyer their designs, they are i'm
porting foreign labor to conflict with,
and supplant native born citizens.
Those engaged in the late strikes and
disturbances at the North were princi-
pally Bohemians and Hungarians i'm
ported at a recent date and thoroughly
impregnated with those subversive
doctrines of anarchy, SO ruinous to a
we'll ordered society. Has it benefited
the laborer? Ought a Government to
deal in subsidies or protect any indus
try that cannot survive by it's own
elasticity and capabilities? The doc
trine is opposed to the spirit and
| essence of our institutions. The hoard
ing of hundreds of millions in the Fed
eral treasury, taken from it's proper
channels of circulation, makes money
dear and products low. We have
reached appalling conditions, By pap
and plumber and protection, corpora
tons have attained such protection, as
to place in jeopardy the very princi-
pies Of our Government. Before them
free government and universal suffrage
stand arraigned.
The immense expenditures of the
war, were created v~alues--all the green
backs issued by the National Govern
ment, was so much capital gained, and
it has found it's home at the North.
All taxes to protect industries, manu-
factories, and corporations, finds it's
| pillow in the Northern brest. Mill
ions of pension money make it's annual
stream into this great basin of capital,
and the greater gains to individuals,
the greater the suffering and distress
and irritation of the masses. There
is somewhere a radical mistake in the
financial system of the country.
The National Banks by their charter
are endowed with great privileges.
They are untaxed, while State banks
are taxed 10 per cent. United States
bonds are untaxed and the interest paid
in gold, and from the National Banks
as a financial agent, the whole farming
interests of these United States is ex-
Guided. Consequently their capital is
used in other channels, and if procured
for the farmer, additional value and
expense is given by middlemen.
In 's5 their capital amounted to. ..... 1884, 500, COZ
H fHapsSsi by the Treasury, say Q $685. q
Now from access to these immense
sums of money, the lands are excluded
from any representation-yet they are
taxed and the Banks are not. Let us
see the area and value of the farming
lands of the United States in 1880.
There is every reason to believe that
their apparent or assessed value is now
greatly increased.
Their area was, in 1886, 539, 800, 179
s. Car. area. ......... 13,5a5,237
Valued at........... S5S,617,4s2
Yet the Nation taxes directly the
products Of the soil, and the State their
lands with their buildings, furniture
and utensils-and the farms are exclu-
ded, as collateral from the financial
system Of the Government. In South
Carolina, lands taxed at the rate of
$40 per acre, when used as collateral
width the view of raising money, are
pledged at one-third of their appraised
value.
The number of persons engaged in agricult-
ure in the United States in 1880 was. -. Z, COZ, 493
In South Carolina 294. 500
All other vacations. 81, 500
To throw this large population en-
gagged in agriculture with their i'm
mense landed property, as valued by
the census to the owls and bats indi-
Gates to me that capital is outside Of
the granaries of the country and that
as an interest it is impossible for it to
escape-being gulped up in the NAV
of speculation-unless it could arrange
to live by it's own unaided efforts.
There is probably now engaged in ag-
riculture by natural increase and by
immigration, near if not altogether,
10, 900, 900 Of men.
The demand of the times is: there
should be a change, and that speedily,
in u banking and financial system.
The great National debt should be liqui-
dated at the earliest practicable period
and the Banks taxed out of exist
ence. There is crying need of a Bank
or Banking system, where landed